ig* Mr. B. Boddington 07i the Effects of a Stroke of Lightning 



stream must have passed, though no sign to indicate its pas- 

 sage was visible; the cloth edge of the cushion, however, im* 

 mediately behind where Mrs. Boddington sat, was torn out- 

 wards, and the leather that covered the iron forced off in the 

 same spot, clearly mai'king its egress at this place. 



As this same iron also received the charge that struck Mr. 

 Boddington, I shall now state the effects of the lightning on 

 him, before I trace its further progress. When first discovered 

 by his servant, he was, as I have said, insensible, and he re- 

 mained in that state for about the space of ten minutes, when 

 he revived sufficiently to inquire where he was, but relates 

 that he was perfectly unconscious of what had occurred ; that 

 he felt his eyesight affected, and pain all over him, but knew 

 not from what cause these sensations arose. The umbrella 

 in this case also was the conductor; it was made of silk, and 

 •was but little damaged, a small portion of the upper part only 

 being torn where it joins the stick, and none of the springs or 

 wires being displaced. The main force of the shock, how- 

 evei', appears to have passed down the handle to his left arm, 

 though a portion of it made a hole through the brim of his 

 hat, and burnt off all the hair that was below it, together 

 with the eyebrows and eyelashes ; the fragments of the burnt 

 parts falling into the eyes deprived him nearly of sight for 

 two or three days, but the eyes were not otherwise injured. 

 The electric stream shattered the left hand, fused the gold 

 shirt-buttons, and tore the clothes in a most extraordinary 

 manner, forcing parts of them together with the buttons to 

 a considerable distance; and a deep wound was inflicted un- 

 der its position on the wrist. The arm was laid bare to the 

 elbow, which is presumed to have been at the moment very 

 near his left waistcoat-pocket, in which there was a knife; this 

 also was forced from its situation, and found on the ground ; a 

 severe wound was made on his body, and every article of 

 dress torn away as if it had been done by gunpowder. From 

 the knife it passed to the iron of the seat, wounding his back, 

 and setting fire to his clothes in its passage. Another portion 

 descended to the right arm, which had hold of the lower part 

 of the stick of the umbrella; was attracted by the sleeve-but- 

 ton, where it made a wound, but slight as compared to that on 

 the left, passed down the arm (which it merely discoloui'ed, and 

 broke the skin of in two small places,) to a gold pencil-case 

 in the right waistcoat-pocket. The great-coat he had on was 

 an old navy watch-coat, commonly called a fca-jacket.^ and 

 of great thickness ; this was torn to pieces, and the coat im- 

 mediately above the waistcoat-pocket much rent; but the 

 waistcoat itself was merely perforated ; on the external part. 



